The invention relates to a nonwoven fabric, a method for fusing a nonwoven batt, and a method and apparatus for producing a nonwoven fabric.
In the last 25 years or so the development of polymeric materials has seen a tremendous growth. Polymeric materials lend themselves to a vast number of uses and applications. One of the more significant areas in which polymeric materials have been used is in the textile industry. The melt spinning of thermoplastic synthetic materials to produce continuous filaments, staple and yarns of such materials has revolutionized the textile industry.
Although much of the growth in the use of synthetic filaments has been in the use of knitted or woven fabrics, nonwoven materials of synthetic filaments also have experienced substantial growth. There are a number of methods known today for producing nonwoven fabrics from synthetic filaments and mixtures of natural and synthetic filaments. Nonwoven fabrics find a variety of uses. A specific area in which nonwoven fabrics have gained substantial acceptance is in the manufacture of carpets, particularly as the primary and/or secondary backing material. Since nonwoven fabrics made of synthetic fibers resist deterioration caused by mildew much better than jute, the material generally used, carpets made using synthetic nonwoven fabrics as the backing material are excellent carpets for use in areas exposed to moisture, such as patios and other outdoor areas.
Nonwoven fabrics are being used in many other areas as well. For example, nonwoven fabrics both fused and unfused are used as substrates in the production of various laminates and as ticking material in the furniture industry. Although nonwovens are useful in a variety of applications as indicated above, nonwoven fabrics can still be substantially improved especially with regard to their dimensional stability, strength and methods of fusing the nonwoven fabric.
It is an object of the present invention to produce a nonwoven fabric.
Another object of the invention is to produce a nonwoven fabric with improved dimensional stability and strength as compared to nonwoven fabrics known in the art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a fused nonwoven fabric in which the depth of fusion is controlled and the integrity of the fibers' cross section is maintained.
Other objects, aspects and advantages of the invention will be apparent after studying the specification and the appended claims.